Spirits of the Past
by MiraElizabeth
Summary: Strange occurences on one of Tangea's moons prompts Team Lightyear to investigate. However, the cause of the occurences is not anything they could have imagined. (Part 3 is now up and Part 4 is coming soon)
1. Default Chapter

Spirits of the Past

Author's note:This is something I have been working on for about a month or so.I have most of it planned out, but it may take me a little while longer to finish it.Please be patient.: )

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command belongs to Disney/Pixar.

Spirits of the Past

STAR CRUISER 42:

Ranger Mira Nova sat in front of the monitor staring at the data before her.A pile of papers sat on the edge of the desk to her left and a half drunk cup of coffee sat to her right.She had been awake for the past thirty-six hours trying to make sense of the bizarre energy readings that had been coming from one of the moons that orbited her home planet.

The princess's head drooped closer and closer to the desk, her eyes closing as sleep overtook her.

"Ranger Nova!"

The young woman's head snapped up and she practically jumped out of her seat, scattering papers everywhere.Her hand hit the coffee cup, tipping in over and sending the brown liquid cascading over the side of the desk and onto her lap.

"Craters!"She growled, looking down at her stained uniform.She lifted her head and glared up at her commanding officer."Buzz, don't ever scare me like that again." 

"Sorry Mira, but we need to know what's going on with those energy readings on Tangea's eighth moon.Your father and the Commander are going to want answers."

Mira leaned back in her chair and sighed."I don't know Buzz.I have been going over and over this data and I just can't figure out why Ruya is having these energy spikes.It doesn't make sense.That moon has had no activity for as long as I can remember.All I can say is that the change in energy levels was sudden and drastic.And recent."

"We're going to need more than that…" Lightyear began.

"Well, unless we actually go to Ruya ourselves, that's all I'm going to be able to tell you."

Buzz pressed the button that activated his communicator.

"Booster, set course for Tangea and notify the Commander that we are heading there to personally have a look at Tangea's moon."

"Roger, Buzz."Booster's cheerful voice crackled over the comm channel. 

TANGEAN ROYAL PALACE:

King Nova stood alone on the palace's launch deck waiting for Cruiser 42's arrival, worry etched on his face.It was the first time since Mira had entered Star Command that he was not glad she was coming home.But Mira's message to him saying that she and the rest of Team Lightyear were en route to Tangea had not surprised him.He knew his daughter and knew that she didn't like mysteries to go unsolved.

The Tangean sighed heavily.He had in a way lied to the Alliance and to Star Command when he had contacted them for help with the Ruya.He had a pretty good idea of what was causing the strange occurrences and if he proved to be right, Tangea would need Star Command's assistance.Not to discover the source of the energy readings, but to save his people from destruction.

Nova watched as the space craft landed on the launch deck, smoke from the engines billowing out into air surrounding it.Mira was the first one off of the ship and she rushed over to give her father a hug.

"We're here now, Father."She said, smiling."Everything will be fine."

Tangea's ruler hugged his daughter, silently praying that it wouldn't be for the last time.

RUYA, TANGEA'S EIGHTH MOON:

"Your father certainly sounded worried."Lightyear said, his voice slightly altered because of his space helmet.The ranger was remembering the meeting the team had with King Nova before leaving to investigate the moon.Buzz was holding a small scanner in his hand and staring at the numbers as they appeared on it.He turned slightly and frowned."The energy readings seem to be getting stronger coming from that direction."

"Got it."Mira stood from her kneeling position and pointed her scanner in the direction Buzz had motioned towards.Her scanner confirmed his findings and she looked at her commanding officer in confusion."They are getting stronger.This is just odd."

The two Rangers moved cautiously in the direction their scanners were indicating, both constantly looking out for any danger.Mira's mind went back to what Buzz had said about her father.

"Father did sound worried.He was acting like, oh I don't know, like he wanted to tell us something.And I got the feeling he really didn't like the idea of me coming up here to have a look around."Mira said.

"But why?I know your father tends to worry about every mission, but compared to other ones we've been on, this one doesn't seem particularly dangerous."

"I know.Something is definitely going on here andI think Father may have an idea about what's going on, but for some reason he's not talking."

Buzz shook his head."I just want this mystery to be solved.And soon.Now let's contact Booster and XR and see if they have found anything."

"Roger that."

XR rolled over the moon's rocky terrain, Booster following close behind.The large red alien was looking around anxiously, as if he expected the boogey man to pop out at any second.They had been on the moon for a couple of hours and still had not found anything to indicate a problem.

"I'm not picking up anything, XR.Maybe there is nothing on this side of the moon.Are you getting anything on your scanners?"Booster asked.But his teammate did not seem to have paid any attention to what he was saying.Instead, XR had stopped and was glaring at the ground.

"Auugh! Stupid moon rocks.Stupid moon dirt.I'll be picking these stuff out of my treads for a week."The little robot grumbled.

"This moon is…uh…I don't know…kind of creepy."

"Yeah, creepy, sure, whatever.Rocks and dirt are real creepy."

"No…" Booster looked around warily."It's like someone's watching us."

XR laughed."Booster, I think you have watching way too many horror vids."

"XR, I'm serious…"

"So am I."The robot said."Serious about finding Buzz and Mira and getting off this hunk of rock."

The Jo-adian sighed and pressed his comm button.He pressed it a few more times and then looked at XR.

"It's dead."

"What's dead?"

"My comm link."

The robot shook his metallic head in annoyance and pressed his communicator.Nothing.He banged on it angrily.Still nothing.Then an alarming realization set in and XR looked up at Booster, his eyes wide.

"Mine's dead too."

Mira looked around, scanning the horizon for any sign of her two teammates.Buzz was standing next to her, trying to find out what was wrong with his communicator.

"Craters!"He hissed in frustration."I can't get anything.Maybe the energy is causing the communicators not to function?"

"Maybe."The princess said softly.She closed her eyes.Buzz looked at her with concern.

"Mira?Are you okay?"

"Yeah.I just…just…feel something."

"What do you mean you feel something?Are you sick?"He asked.He had to.Her race and the powers she possessed were still something of a mystery to him.

"Someone is here, Buzz."   
"What?!"Buzz grabbed her by the arms and looked directly into her eyes.The young woman's blue eyes were wide and fearful."What is going on?" 

"There is someone here."She whispered."I can feel someone's presence here.It's not yours or Booster's or even XR's.It's…it's different.Almost Tangean, but not quite.And it's close."

She looked at her commanding officer, her face pale and expressing the fear she was feeling. 

"We've got to get off of this moon.Now."She was looking around, her eyes darting everywhere as if she expected something terrible to emerge from the shadows and get them.

Lightyear had never seen her this way.Nervous and scared.Frantic almost.Nothing like the calm, collected, and fearless Mira he knew.He decided quickly that it would be best to do as she said.

"Alright.We'll go back and get 42 and look for Booster and XR from above, okay.

She nodded and followed Buzz back to Cruiser 42, staying close to him.They climbed up into the vessel and took their seats.Buzz cast a sidelong glance over at Mira.

The princess was gripping the arms of her chair so hard he thought they would break off in her hands.She looked scared.He pressed the ignition button, eager to hear the sound of the engines.

Nothing.

"What the…" Lightyear didn't even finish his sentence.Mira watched as he slumped forward onto the console.Her heart began to pound and she slowly turned her head to look in the direction of Buzz's seat.

Her eyes widened and she tried to scream, but she never got it out.

TANGEAN ROYAL PALACE:  
  


Tangea's ruler paced his throne room.Team Lightyear stood out of his way, each silent.

"Sir, I'm sorry.I don't know what happened.I was trying to start 42 and the next thing I knew, I woke up and she was gone."Lightyear said, finally breaking the silence."We looked all over for her, but we found no trace of her.She kept talking about feeling someone.She said it felt Tangean, but it wasn't Tangean.Do you know what she was talking about?"

Nova didn't respond.

"Sir, if you know anything.Please…"

"The Spirits."The Tangean whispered.

"What?"Lightyear was confused."What are the Spirits?"

"Not what, but who."Nova corrected.

"Okaayyyy…" XR said."That makes things clearer."

"The Spirits used inhabit Tangea a long time ago."The king shook his head."I thought they were gone.We all thought they were gone."

"Why in the galaxy would these Spirits want to take Mira?"Buzz asked, folding his arms across his chest.He was getting a little annoyed.He had a missing crewmember and all he was doing now was standing around and listening to the cryptic ramblings of her father.

"I guess I should have told you the truth."King Nova said, sinking down into his throne.

"That would've been helpful, especially before we went to the stupid moon!"XR said angrily, folding his arms across his metallic chest.

"XR, hush!" Booster hissed, grabbing the little robot and pulling him back.

"A long time ago there were three races on Tangea: us, the grounders, and the Spirits.The Spirits looked something like Royals, only their blue coloring was so pale that they looked very similar to actual ghosts.Whereas we can ghost and the grounders can shoot focused beams of energy, the Spirits had a combination of the two abilities.However, as our three races evolved, the Spirits' powers mutated and they're abilites became far stronger than ours.In fear of the Spirits, an army of Royals and grounders attacked them and many were killed.But before all of them could be destroyed, they had disappeared.We thought they had died off or maybe gone into hiding because nothing had been heard from them in several generations.A few weeks ago, Ruya started giving off those odd energy signals and our scientists detected some kind of activity under the moon's surface.At first we didn't think much of it, but then the energy signals became stronger and more powerful.At first, very few of our scientists could believe that it was the Spirits who were causing the moon's disturbances.But as time went on and the activity on Ruya increased, everyone became more and more convinced that it was them."

The man sighed and looked at Team Lightyear, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"If they have plans to attack us, which is a very real possibility, than I am afraid Tangea will not survive without the assistance of Star Command.I hate to admit it, but they are too powerful for us to handle alone."

Nova buried his face in his hands.

"And now they have my daughter.Who knows what they've done to her."

UNDERNEATH RUYA'S SURFACE:  
  


The young woman's eyes fluttered open and she tried to focus on her surroundings.It was difficult, since she was still dizzy from being unconscious.After a few moments the annoying blurriness faded and her vision was once again clear.She looked around and saw the man who had kidnapped her.He had very pale blue skin and dark hair that was graying and he was wearing an odd little smile on his face.

"Are you comfortable, Princess?"Sarcasm dripped from the man's voice.Mira shifted her body, finding herself anchored to the cave's wall.Heavy metal clamps held her wrists to the wall and she struggled against her bindings.Mira tried to focus her mental powers in order to ghost herself out of the clamps, but she found it was futile.

"Let me go!"She demanded.

He laughed."Can't ghost out, can you?Sorry Your Highness, but my powers are just too strong for yours to have any effect."

"What do you want from me?I don't even know who you are."

"Oh but you do, Princess.No doubt you were told stories about the evil Spirits as a child and I'm sure you believed that they were nothing but stories.Seeing as how you are heir to the throne however, I'm sure Daddy would have finally told you the truth about us and how your people sent us into exile to die in some wretched corner of the planet.But we escaped that fate and came here and we have thrived."He glared at her."But you, Princess, will never rule Tangea.It's payback time and my people have been planning for years to overthrow your family and assume control of the planet.That day is coming soon, Your Highness, very soon as a matter of fact."

He smiled at her smugly, causing the young woman's eyes to narrow.

"My people would rather blow up Tangea than have some idiot like you rule it."She hissed.

"Why you little…" The Spirit clenched his fists and small bolts of energy crackled from them."You'll pay with your life for that remark."

He raised both hands, preparing to hit Mira with a burst of energy.The princess turned her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and prepared for the blow.It never came.Another male had grabbed the man's arm, stopping him.Realizing her death wasn't going to happen at that moment, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the one who had saved her from the Spirit's wrath.

He had the extremely pale blue skin that seemed to be a common trait among the Spirits and dark brown hair.He also looked to be quite a bit younger than then her tormentor.

"Don't do it, Arlac."The young man warned, looking over at the princess.She stared back at him, a slight hint of fear showing in her eyes.The man frowned."We agreed that it was necessary to take Princess Mira captive, but we did not agree to let you kill her."

"Terrin, you're a fool.We need to make an example of her.Maybe finding the dead body of their princess will make those morons on the planet realize that we are not a people to be trifled with."

A young female joined the two men.She was tall, slender, and her mass of reddish colored hair contrasted with her pale skin.She looked angry.

"Terrin's right.Killing her will not solve anything.It will just make things worse."She said.

"Your opinion was not asked for, nor is it wanted, Yanari.This doesn't concern you."Arlac said, glaring at the girl.

"It concerns all of us, Arlac.Everything that happens here directly affects us all and I personally have no desire to be executed for murdering the Tangean princess."

"Whatever."Arlac said, his voice dripping with contempt."But I cannot believe that you two are putting the life of one spoiled princess above the lives of your own people."

He turned and walked off, mumbling angrily as he left.

"Arlac is unstable, Terrin.He could be trouble if we can't get him under control."Yanari said.

"Don't worry.I've got my eye on him."

Arlac moved quickly through the hallways of the cavern.He wouldn't have much time once he reached the device.Finding the exact spot in the hallway, the Spirit ghosted through one of the walls and into a large room.He allowed his eyes to adjust to the room's dim light before staring up at the device.

He was proud of the device, not only because he was a major participant in designing it, but also in that it would bring about his people's rule on Tangea.It was almost ridiculously simple, an orb that floated delicately in the middle of four energy conductors.All one had to do was power up the system using a burst of their own energy and the device would strengthen that energy and turn it into a concentrated beam that would be emitted from the orb.

The Spirit climbed up to the top of the platform, which rose about thirty feet from the floor.The orb glowed softly, emitting a pale blue light.He pressed a button on the side of the energy conductor and the soft blue glow of the orb changed into a harsh white.He smiled wickedly.

"Now to give those fools down on the planet a taste of what's in store for them."

Arlac ran down the platform stairs and stood in front of the activation system, which looked like nothing more than a computer console. He picked his co-ordinates where the beam was to go and entered them into the system.The Spirit attached tiny electrodes to the end of each finger in order to collect his energy burst. Wires from the electrodes connected him to the console.Clenching his fists, he let his energy build up and fired a burst of energy.The system sparked and crackled as it processed the energy.It finally made a beeping noise and a green button began flashing, informing him that the system was online and ready to fire.

Arlac narrowed his eyes, raised his hand and brought it down onto the button.

The ground beneath Yanari's feet shook and she and Terrin looked at each other, eyes wide.

"The device!"They both shouted in unison and raced off in the direction of the room.

Mira stood, still clamped to the wall, her eyes wide with fear as the ground shook under her.

"What is going on?Someone please tell me!"She yelled.


	2. Part 2 (Part 3 coming soon...I hope)

Spirits of the Past (Part 2)

By: Mira Elizabeth

Author's Note:Sorry an update took so long.So many other things got in the way.But here ya go…Enjoy!

Buzz Lightyear Characters belong to Disney/Pixar.

The members of the Tangean court ran in all directions, screaming in fear, as portions of the palace fell around them.Team Lightyear tried desperately to retain some semblance of calm and control in the midst of the chaos, but the fleeing courtiers were not helping.

Buzz grabbed Nova by the arm, trying to pull him out of the way of the falling debris.They heard another explosion above their heads and the two men looked up to see a large portion of the ceiling come crashing towards them.

Pushing Nova ahead of him, Lightyear dove out of the way of the large chink of ceiling.He looked up from his position on the floor of the throne room and through the haze of smoke and dust, saw the blue Tangean sky.

All was quiet again.

Mira felt the ground go still beneath her feet and she opened her eyes, searching frantically for any sign of her captors.

Yanari and Terrin emerged from one of the corridors, both looking very distressed.

"What happened?!"The princess cried out.

The male Spirit sighed heavily."Arlac fired our defense weapon at your planet."

"What!?"Mira shrieked."Where?Please tell me!"

The Spirits looked at each other and Terrin sighed.

"The co-ordinates for the beam indicate it was aimed at the royal palace."He watched as Mira's eyes filled with tears, grief etched in her face."I'm sorry."

"Noooo!!"She wailed, tears running down her face.

"Mira, I…" Terrin began.

"You bastards!"She screamed, her face rigid with anger."When the Alliance finds out about this I hope they destroy every last one of you!I hope you…"

The princess didn't finish her sentence, dissolving into tears once again.The two Spirits looked at each other, neither saying a word.The only sound was Mira's sobbing, her pain and grief echoing throughout the cavern and through their minds.

TANGEAN ROYAL PALACE:

"Buzz, what in the name of Venus is going on?!Why did communications with the planet shut down?"The Commander's face loomed above Lightyear from the viewscreen.

"Someone tried to barbeque the palace, Pop."XR answered. 

The Commander frowned at the robot, who scurried away and hid behind Booster's large form. He turned his attention back to Lightyear.

"What in blue blazes is he talking about?!"

"The moon emitted an energy beam and it hit the palace.There wasn't too much damage, but it did knock out communications for a little while.There were no injuries, just some rather shaken up Tangeans.We're going to have to assume now that the moon is hostile."

"Any word on Mira?" 

Buzz's face fell a little from its rigid expression.

"No.No word.But if the inhabitants of the moon are so hostile as to shoot at a palace full of innocent civilians, then we have to admit to the possibility that they may have killed her already."  
"I hope you're wrong, Buzz.I hope you wrong.I want to be notified the second anything happens, got it.Nebula out."

The screen went blank.Buzz stood in front of it, fists clenched, his back to his other teammates.No one said a word for a few moments and the tension in the air was thick.

"Um…Buzz…you don't really think whoever is on that moon has hurt Mira, do you?"Booster asked softly.

Lightyear sighed and turned around, looking at the distressed Jo-adian.

"I don't know what to think, Booster.But as long as we have no proof otherwise, I am going to assume that Mira is unharmed and we're going to get her back safe and sound."

UNDERNEATH RUYA'S SURFACE: 

"…you have probably destroyed our chance to make peace.Arlac, what in the name of Venus were you thinking?"

Mira raised her head at the sound of Terrin's raised voice.She could see his and Arlac's shadows moving along the wall in the hallway. 

"Well if you hadn't stopped me we would not need to worry about making peace.Everyone would be dead and the planet would be ours."

"You just don't get it, do you?We are not going to fire at Tangea unless the planet initiates a confrontation."

"You've grown soft, Terrin.If this had been a year ago, your precious princess in the other room would have been put to death by now and her family and home would have been completely obliterated.And you would not have given a second thought to any of it."Arlac's voice was harsh and bitter.

"That was then.I've changed, Arlac.A lot of us have.We don't want a war.We don't want anyone hurt.That's no longer the goal."

Mira watched the elder Spirit warily as he rushed out of the hallway and passed in front of her.He stopped suddenly and turned, looking at her with such hatred and contempt that it made Mira's blood turn cold.

Arlac walked up to her and grabbed her face roughly in his hand, his fingers digging painfully into her jawbone and cheeks.

"I should have killed you and ended your pathetic existence when I had the chance down on the moon's surface.It would have been so easy."

Mira didn't say a word, just stared at him.She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurting her.She didn't want him to think that he had that kind of power.She struggled a little, trying to get free from his grip.Suddenly there was a gasp behind them.

"What the hell is going on here?!"Yanari yelled.Terrin came in from the hallway, his eyes flashing in anger.He pushed Arlac away from Mira, causing the elder Spirit to fall down hard onto the cavern's stone floor.

"Come near her again and I'll kill you."Terrin growled.

Arlac got up, his eyes narrowing in pure fury."If I were you, Terrin, I would watch my back."

The two men glared at each other.

"Get out of my sight."The younger Spirit hissed. 

Mira, Terrin, and Yanari watched as Arlac disappeared down the main hallway.

"Please Terrin, do something about him.He's going to ruin everything we hope to accomplish."

"All right.I'll figure out something, but for now the only thing we can do is watch him."Terrin nodded in Mira's direction."And her."

The Spirit moved closer towards Mira, noticing the angry looking red marks on her cheeks from Arlac's grip on her face."Are you okay?"

The princess nodded slowly and then smiled a little.For some strange reason she suddenly felt very safe and comfortable in Terrin's presence.She couldn't explain it.Especially after all that had happened.She looked at the two Spirits, tears shining in her eyes.

"My father is alive?The palace is alright?"

"Yes.We intercepted a communication from the planet.No one seems to have been injured and there was only minor damage to the palace."

Mira sighed and Terrin could see the relief etched in her face.

Yanari sighed wearily and leaned against the stone wall.It had been few hours since the argument with Arlac and despite Terrin's assurances that everything would be okay, she still felt uneasy.The Spirit looked over at the princess and suddenly felt sorry for her.Terrin had removed the clamps that held the young woman to the wall, opting instead to bind her wrists together, which allowed her to sit.The princess's knees were drawn to her chest and she was resting her head on them.

"Do you need anything?"Yanari asked and the Tangean looked up.She looked tired and hungry, her blue eyes clearly showing the stress she was under.

Mira shook her head and laid it back down on her knees.She was cold and shivered a little.The Spirits had taken her space suit after all and she was wearing only the purple bodysuit that went underneath.Seeing that the princess was cold, the female Spirit took off her ragged shawl and draped it over shivering young woman's shoulders.

"Thank you."Mira whispered.Yanari sat down next to her and the two sat in silence for a few moments.Then the Spirit turned towards the princess.

"Please don't think ill of us, Mira…" The young woman began.

"How can I not think ill of you?" the princess said curtly, raising her head again."You have kept me captive here, threatened me, and that one psycho tried to kill me and shot at my home.Yeah, I love you guys."Mira rolled her eyes and looked away.

"We just want a better life for our people.That's all.You've grown up in a palace, surrounded by beautiful things, safe and warm and fed.Our children don't have that luxury.I didn't have that luxury.None of us have.Not for several generations."

"So you're taking it out on me."

"That's not it at all.No one will harm you, I promise.Tangea was once our home and we just want to be a part of it."

"I don't think my people will allow that.Kidnapping me will not endear you to them, trust me."

Yanari sighed.She had hoped that by bringing the princess to Ruya she would understand what was happening, but Yanari could clearly see that Mira was too angry to see anything other than her own problem.

"My brother and I never meant for anything to happen to your planet.The weapon was built to protect us from the attack we feared from your planet once your people found out we were here.We had never intended on using it on your planet unprovoked."

"That's comforting."The princess said, sarcasm dripping from her voice."Wait, Terrin is your brother?"

The female Spirit nodded."He's all I have.Our parents died when we were just children."

"I'm sorry."Mira looked away, embarrassed at her rudeness.

Terrin watched the princess from the other side of the cave while she and Yanari had been talking.

'Leave it to Yanari to play hostess.'He thought with an amused smile.His sister had gone out of her way to make sure Mira was as comfortable as they could let her be.

He continued to stare at the Tangean and he had to admit that he found Mira attractive, with her exotic features and fiery red hair.And she had an attitude that was about as fiery as her hair color.Terrin remembered her cutting remark to Arlac and smiled.He liked this girl.He liked her a lot.

The Spirit stood up and walked over to where his sister was sitting with their captive.

"Why don't you go get a little sleep, Yanari?If we are going to do what we plan to do, I'm going to need you rested?I'll watch her."

"Plan? What plan?"Mira interrupted.

The two Spirits ignored her.

"All right.But wake me in a couple of hours."Yanari stood and looked down at Mira."It'll be better soon, I promise."

The princess watched as Yanari disappeared down a stone corridor.

"What is she talking about?What plan?"Mira asked again, her voice sounding slightly frantic.

"Don't worry about it for now, all right.I will tell you soon."Terrin sat down next to her."But for now, I get the honor of watching you."

"Watch me do what?Sit here?That should be fun."

Terrin grinned."Oh but it is.You see, I have been trying to figure you out.But all I keep coming up with is a whole lot of unanswered questions about you."

Mira raised an eyebrow."Oh really, like what?"

"Well like why a Tangean princess would want to be a Space Ranger?Seems kind of odd."Terrin said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"You know about the Rangers?"She was shocked.

"Of course we do.Just because we live exiled on this moon doesn't mean we are completely shut off from the galaxy."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't think that…"

"People like us would have knowledge about anything else other than this moon and ourselves."He finished for her.

"No, I didn't…I mean…" She sighed and looked down, unable to finish her sentence.He had been right, she had thought they were completely isolated and clueless as to what went on in the galaxy."I'm sorry."

"It's okay."He looked down at her wrists and without a word, unbound them.The princess was surprised, but grateful.She rubbed them, trying to relieve the soreness and stiffness.

"Thank you."She said softly.

Terrin smiled at her.It was the least he could do for her considering he was about to ask for her help.He was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to approach the subject, and then he spoke.

"We've decided to try to make contact with the planet.After what happened earlier today, we want to assure your father that it was not us, but Arlac who attacked.We really do want a peaceful resolution to this, Mira."

"Whether it was Arlac who fired that thing or not, attacking my home is not going help your cause any.By firing at Tangea, you have basically lost whatever chance you had to try and negotiate with my father."

"I feared that might be the case, that's why we are going to need your help."Terrin said.

She stared at him."My help?What makes you think I would help you?"

"Because you are the only one who can convince your father to meet with me and Yanari.We need him to come up here and talk with us.Hopefully we can end years of anger and frustration."

Mira frowned."You want me to ask my father to come up to this hunk of rock and talk to you two.How do I know it's not just a plan to hold him hostage as well?"

"I highly doubt he would let us into the palace.Besides, we have not done anything to harm you or to make you think…" His voice trailed off as she glared at him."Okay, maybe things could have been a bit more pleasant."

The princess stood up angrily from where she was sitting and walked to the other side of the cavern, her back turned away from him, arms folded across her chest.The Spirit stood and sighed heavily.He walked over to her and placed a hand cautiously onto her shoulder.

"I can understand your distrust, Mira.But please, we need your help."

She didn't answer him and there was silence for several moments.

"Maybe this is how it should be.Maybe you should stay up here away from Tangea."She said softly."I can't.I have to protect my people.I have a duty to them."

Her refusal to help made the Spirit angry.He was tired of the Tangean peoples' prejudices towards everyone else.His anger made him irrational and he didn't see her refusal as just her wanting keep her people safe.He saw it as her thinking that his kind was beneath hers.

"You're just like all the other royals.Stuck up and self-absorbed."Terrin yelled, glaring at her. 

"I can't believe you just said that!You don't anything about me at all!"Mira yelled back, putting her hands on her hips."You think I am just some spoiled princess who doesn't know anything about hardship and heartache.Well I do.I may have lived in a palace, but it was more like a prison.I was kept sheltered away from everything.My life had already been planned out for me from the day I was born.I joined Star Command because it meant getting away from all of that…"

She paused and looked down, her eyes filling with tears, which she tried desperately to hide by covering her eyes with her hands.

"And I have to live every day with my father's disapproval of me being a Ranger, something I've wanted to be more than anything else.And that hurts."Her head snapped up, catching herself before she became too vulnerable and she looked at the Spirit, her eyes flashing with anger."So don't say that you know me, because you don't."

Terrin stared at her, his anger melting.She was right.He didn't know anything about her life.He had just assumed that because she had been born to privilege and luxury that she had no hardships.He realized that obviously she did.They may have not been the same ones he faced, but they were things that she struggled with and was emotionally affected by.He liked her even more then before and smiled at her.

"You're right except that I do in fact know a few things about you."The Spirit said, moving closer towards her.

"Oh really?"She said, a touch of sarcasm in her voice, her hands resting on her hips.

"Yes.You are stubborn, totally argumentative…" He got closer to her, suddenly noticing how blue her eyes were."…absolutely beautiful…" 

He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.Shock registered in Mira's mind at first and then she found herself enjoying the kiss.She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her to him, holding her close.

Their kiss lingered for several moments before she broke away.She stared at him, confusion registering in her eyes.

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to.Why did you let me kiss you?I thought for sure you'd slap me."

She turned away from him."I-I don't know."

"Yes, you do.You feel the same thing I feel."

Mira lowered her head.She did feel something for him, she had from the time he saved her from Arlac.All the times he had saved her from Arlac.Terrin had been nothing but kind and pleasant to her and she had found him to be someone who stood up for what he believed in, rational, and thoughtful.He obviously cared about his people, wanted everything in the universe to be better and those were things that they shared in common.The princess had found herself through her ordeal liking the Spirit immensely.Maybe in another time, another place, but she knew that circumstances would prevent anything ever continuing. 

"No, I don't.I can't.It is impossible."

Terrin turned her around to face him and cupped her chin in his hand, lifting her head.He looked directly into her eyes and smiled.

"Nothing's impossible."He said and kissed her again.


	3. Part 3 (Part 4 coming soon...)

Spirits of the Past

Spirits of the Past

By : Mira Elizabeth

Buzz Lightyear and co. are the property of Disney/Pixar.All other characters in this piece are mine.Thanks.

Author's note:Sorry bout the short little chapter, but for now chapters may continue to be smaller.I may lump them together later, so we'll see.Enjoy!!!

UNDERNEATH RUYA'S SURFACE, DEEP WITHIN THE SPIRITS' CAVERNOUS HOME:

He ran through the twisted corridors, some naturally formed and some that had been dug out, until he came to his destination.Arlac looked up from the paper he was reading at the other Spirit, who was trying to catch his breath. He put the paper down on the small table next to him and leaned back in his chair.

"So what's happening, Juri?"He asked."What are those idiots up to now?"

"Terrin's convinced the princess to help him.She's supposed to make contact for him with her father and convince him to come here for negotiations.Both Terrin and Yanari think a face to face meeting is the best way to handle this."

"This is getting better and better.So Terrin has made an alliance with the princess…" Arlac smiled."I always said he had no taste."

The Spirit's face suddenly turned serious."When is she supposed to attempt contact?"

"Sometime within the hour.If all goes well, they want to have the meeting tomorrow."Juri said.

"That doesn't give us much time."Arlac stood, picking the paper up off the table.He torn a small portion of it off and handed it to the other Spirit."If anything happens to me, these are the exact coordinates for the Tangean royal palace.Make sure it is destroyed.Spread the word to everyone and tell them to be ready to attack when I say so.Got it."

"Yeah."Juri folded the tiny scrap of paper and slipped it into his pocket.He looked at Arlac, a slight hint of doubt in his eyes."I hope you know what you're doing."

He turned and started to leave, but stopped.He looked back over his shoulder at Arlac.

"What about Princess Mira?What do you want us to do about her?"

"Nothing."Arlac said, a smile creeping over his features."I will get that honor, so leave her to me."

"…and then he decided he wanted to be a ranger.XR pretended his parts catalog was the Tangean book of rules and said that Fop didn't have to marry me if he no longer wanted to.Father and Fop believed him and so ended my forced, but short engagement."Mira said with a smile.She and Terrin were sitting together, trying to eat some dinner before they attempted contact with her homeworld.But they had been doing more talking than eating.

Terrin laughed."You mean to tell me that you Royals have so many rules that you can't even tell which ones are real and which ones are made up?"

She nodded."Yeah, one of my people's many quirks.They're so focused on being the most intelligent, elegant, and proper bunch of people in the galaxy.I have to admit that I kind of think it's funny when life and the universe pokes fun at them.But trust me, things will be different when I am Queen.Father's a good king.He loves our people, loves Tangea, and would do anything for them.But I think he's afraid of change.How life is now is how it was when his parents ruled and so on."

Mira sighed."But I fully intend to shake things up a bit.Tangea needs to change and I guess it will be me that will lead it.

The Spirit leaned in close to her, taking her bowl from her and putting both hers and his own down on the ground.She smiled."Yeah well, I'm sure that you are very practiced at shaking things up, aren't you."

"Yeah and you know what…" The princess moved her face closer to his, her smile broadening.

"What?"

"I'm getting even more practice now."She whispered, their faces drawing closer to one another.Their lips touched and he gathered her up into his arms, holding her close as their kiss deepened.

Behind them, from the corridor entrance, Yanari watched them.She shook her head and frowned as one thought came to mind. 

'This is going to complicate things.'

"Well, you're moving quickly."Yanari said, standing in front of Terrin.She had watched Mira leave to go wash her hands and face before approaching her brother.

Terrin looked up at her.

"What do you mean?"He asked.

"With Mira.Terrin, you know…" She started, but he held up a hand to stop her.

"Don't even start.I know what you are going to say.I know it's been quick, Yanari, but I really do care for her and I've never felt this strongly about someone before.I wish it had happened under better circumstances, but I can't help it.So please let me enjoy it while I can because who knows what will happen."

Yanari sighed.She knew there was no arguing with him."All right, but please be careful.I don't want this to get in the way of what we need to do."

"Don't worry, it won't.Mira is just as committed to making our situation end peacefully as I am.We wouldn't let anything stand in the way of that."

"Good."Yanari smiled."Now let's get Mira and make contact with the planet."


End file.
